The Phoenix's Pawn
by PhoebeColeTurnerHalliwell
Summary: James orders Lily to take Harry and Apparate on the night Voldemort comes to Godric's Hollow. On the run, Lily and Sirius raise Harry and teach him both Dark and Light Magic, knowing he might have to die to defeat Voldemort. Powerful!Harry Dark!Harry
1. Prologue

_Prologue: October 31, 1981_

James Potter went pale. Lily's blood went cold as she watched the color drain from her husband's face. She had just come back from putting Harry to bed when she'd sensed that something was wrong.

"Lily. Remember what Albus said? I think he's here. Voldemort's here," James said, keeping a wary eye on the front door.

"But James...we should fight him together. It's two against one-" Lily began but James cut her off.

"We don't stand a chance against him. The only chance we have is for you to get Harry and Apparate someplace safe. Please don't argue!" James exclaimed upon seeing his wife open her mouth in protest.

"But..." Lily wasn't quite ready to give up. Both she and James had both agreed to Albus Dumbledore's suggestion about what to do if Lord Voldemort ever showed up at their doorstep. They all knew Harry, little baby Harry who was barely a year old, was the most important person in this war. It was imperative that he remain safe and protected, even if that meant that others had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Lily had offered to stay behind and keep Voldemort at bay but James wouldn't hear of it, even when she had tried to get him to see sense. James was bigger than Lily. He would be much better at keeping Harry safe and raising him. But in the end she, Albus, and James had agreed that James would be the one to hold Voldemort off as long as possible while Lily and Harry Apparated away.

"Lily." James turned to face her, placing his hands on either side of her face in a warm and gentle, yet urgent gesture. Lily didn't want him to let go. "We have to do this. We can't let him get to Harry. You are an amazing mother and you're going to do great. We'll be together again. But right now you need to get Harry and get out."

Lily's eyes filled with tears. "I'm not ready to say goodbye, James."

James Potter's brown eyes became moist as well and he hugged his wife tightly to him. "Me either. But the time has come. Just remember to tell Harry how much I love him, okay?"

Lily nodded into his chest, knowing they would have to let go soon.

It seemed like no time had passed at all when James reluctantly pulled away. "I love you," he said.

"I l-love you t-t-too," Lily sobbed, her voice breaking.

"Go!" James urged, and Lily's heart began racing as she heard footsteps just outside the door. "Go!"

With one final sweeping glance at James, Lily hurried up the stairs, repressing her urge to go back and fight alongside her husband. She ran into Harry's bedroom, the last one on the left and closed the door, locking it behind her. She knew it was a pointless gesture, but if that was the only thing she could contribute, then she'd do it.

She hurried over to Harry's crib, her heart breaking at the sight of her son, sleeping peacefully on his back. She hated to wake him up, but she bent over the crib and picked him up, wrapping him quickly in the blanket.

A scream came from downstairs, and Lily knew that James was probably dead. She couldn't allow herself to realize the full magnitude of that. Instead she cleared her head and thought of the destination she, James, and Albus had chosen for she and Harry to go. The familiar feeling of Apparating overcame her body and a second later they were standing on the porch of a dark house on a dimly lit street, hidden from the view of Muggles.

Number twelve Grimmauld Place.

* * *

A/N: I know that the Black house wasn't used for headquarters during the original Order of the Phoenix. It's all part of the plan. Remember this is only the prologue, the chapters to come will be longer. Rating may go up for future chapters.


	2. Awful News

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, put this story on their favorites and/or alerts. As we all know, I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

_Chapter One_

Not for the first time that week, Harry Potter was angry.

He watched the other kids down the street playing a game of basketball, a sad pang on longing chewing on him from the inside and he couldn't seem to make it go away. He glanced down at the pile of books at his feet and the long piece of parchment in his lap. How he wished he could just chuck it all and join the other kids his age! How he wished he were a normal ten year old boy whose only destiny was to grow up and become a successful adult. But he definitely wasn't a normal ten year old boy.

Harry Potter was a wizard. Not just any wizard, either. But the Chosen One. He had known ever since he was little that he was destined to be the one to kill the Dark Lord. His mother and his godfather, Sirius Black, made him study magic practically all day everyday. It seemed the only exceptions were for meals and bedtime. Most of the time he was cooped inside their pathetic little shack of a house, but today his mother had decided it would be okay if he wanted to study on the porch. Under supervision, of course.

Harry looked out of the side of his eye to see his mother, Lily Potter, sipping a cup of coffee and reading _The Daily Prophet. _He couldn't see the headline on the front page, but he figured it had something to do with Lord Voldemort.

Sirius was the only one who went to Order of the Phoenix meetings. The Order thought it was too dangerous if too many people knew where Lily and Harry were. It was no secret that the only thing on Voldemort's mind for the last ten years was locating the last of the Potters and killing them.

Harry thought about the night Voldemort had shown up at their house. When he was younger he'd always demanded that his mother tell him the story of how his father had died and how they'd gotten away. Every time he thought about his father a deep sadness welled up inside him. So many questions invaded his mind.

_Why did he stay behind? Why couldn't he have Apparated with us? _Those were just some of the few questions he'd asked his mother when she'd tell him the story. But he'd stopped when she started to cry. It was always an awkward moment between them. Harry was convinced she blamed him, however minutely, for his father's murder.

He turned his head and glanced at his mother again. She was still reading the paper, but he knew she was also keeping a watchful eye on him. He'd been studying magic ever since he could read and was at the level of a sixth year at Hogwarts. He knew more than a thousand magical spells by heart, but he was still a ten year old boy. He had a tendency to become distracted and at that moment the _last _thing he wanted to do was study.

He was about to put his piece of parchment down and ask his mother if he could join the other kids in their game, but at that moment the front door of their house opened and Sirius's footsteps could be heard coming down the porch.

Harry's spirits sank. His godfather would never let him take a break. Every time Harry asked, Sirius would tell him that he needed to be prepared. "You never know when Voldemort will find us. And he _will _find us. It's only a matter of time."

Harry always fought a deep urge to throw the books in his godfather's face and tell him he wasn't doing it anymore. He didn't want to be the Chosen One. He wanted to be a normal kid with normal problems. If Sirius was so concerned with defeating Voldemort, why didn't _he _just do it?

"How are you doing?" Sirius asked as he came up to stand behind Harry. Harry shrugged, not wanting to answer. The truth was that it wasn't going. He was supposed to be writing down the effects of the Unforgivable Curses and what to do to prevent himself from being cursed. So far he'd written only a small paragraph.

Sirius bent down to pick up the parchment and sat down beside his godson. Harry glued his eyes in his lap as Sirius read an hour's worth of work that ended up being only a few meager sentences. He wasn't sure how much time had passed as Sirius read and probably reread the paragraph. Harry prepared himself for the lecture he was sure was coming.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Harry heard Sirius clear his throat. "Harry, you're better than this."

And there it was. The lecture he'd heard a thousand times before. He steeled himself, prepared to appear as though he were listening.

"Harry, your mother and I don't have you studying and learning magic just to make your life miserable. We want nothing but the best for you. If you go up against a wizard as powerful as Voldemort, and you aren't prepared and your heart isn't in it, then the worst could happen. But this," he indicated the parchment he'd given back to Harry, "isn't being prepared."

"I know." Harry sighed, feeling his anger start to build inside of him again. "But Sirius, I'm tired. Can't I take a break? At least for a little while?"

Sirius paused, staring at Harry as though he'd just sprouted a third limb. "Voldemort isn't resting, Harry. He's out there right now, using every available resource available to him to find you, and when he does, he isn't going to ask you if you feel like dueling. As I said before, your mother and I aren't doing this to you to make you miserable."

"Feels like it," Harry muttered under his breath, knowing Sirius could hear him. Part of him wished his godfather would go off on him because he was looking for an excuse to yell and get his frustrations out.

But, to his surprise and annoyance, his godfather did something that was out of character for him.

He smiled.

"I know it feels like it now, but soon you'll see that this is something that needs to be done. Finish the assignment and then we'll see about taking a little break," Sirius said, ruffling Harry's hair as he stood up, picking up one of the books at Harry's feet and handing it to him.

Harry took it, resisting the urge to throw it at Sirius's retreating form. It was all easy for him to say. Sirius wasn't the Chosen One. He wasn't the one who had to study nonstop and go up against Voldemort, a wizard with more knowledge in magic than Harry could ever hope to learn. Well, the joke would be on Sirius. He slammed the book down on the concrete, no longer caring if his mother saw him. He stood up, crumpled the parchment he'd been writing on into a ball and threw it towards the house. Then he ran down the street, yelling for the other kids that the teams would now be even.

* * *

Lily sat on the porch, reading about a muggle family who'd been attacked down in Surrey. She tried to keep her emotions at bay, but the name of the family whose home had been broken into was screaming at her from the page.

_'Petunia Dursley is expected to make a full recovery, but her son, ten year old Dudley Dursley, remains in the hospital in serious condition. Thirty five year old Vernon Dursley, however, passed away early this morning due to his shrunken lungs...'_

Lily couldn't read anymore. How could she have thought that Petunia and her family would remain under the radar? How could she have possibly believed that Voldemort would leave them alone? The picture of Dudley, the nephew she'd never met, lying in a coma in a muggle hospital, hooked up to about ten different machines, made her stomach contract. She didn't even want to think about Vernon...

All of a sudden she was grateful she'd taught Petunia some minor curses the summer after her seventh year at Hogwarts. Voldemort was just coming into power, but the terror was growing rapidly The Death Eaters had been attacking Muggles every other day it seemed and Lily had known she wouldn't survive if she found out her sister was one of those Muggles.

She wanted to call her older sister and find out how she was doing, but knew it was out of the question. She knew the attack on the Dursley family was no random act of wizarding violence. It was planned; strategic. Contacting Petunia was exactly what Voldemort was counting on. And she hated that the urge was still strong enough that she had to talk herself out of it.

_The minute this war is over, I'm going to call her and keep in contact with her, _Lily promised herself. She wanted to get to know her nephew, even if Petunia had no interest in meeting Harry. Petunia always made it quite clear ever since Lily had left for her first year at Hogwarts that she thought witches and wizards were a bunch of freaks.

She reached for the tissues sitting on the table beside her and blew her nose. Periodically she would catch Harry watching her out of the corner of his eye and she didn't want him knowing anything was wrong. He was stressed enough as it was with all the studying she and Sirius had him doing. He didn't need to know that Voldemort had attacked the only family he and Lily had left.

She caught Harry watching her again, and he quickly turned away, turning his attention to the group of kids down the street who were playing basketball. She knew he wanted to join them. What ten year old kid wanted to spend all his time studying? He was starting to resent them for depriving him of a normal childhood. And who could blame him? She felt so much regret for what she and Sirius were subjecting him to, but what choice did they have? He had to be prepared. He was the Chosen One. Voldemort certainly wasn't biding his time and waiting patiently for Harry to grow up and have valuable magical knowledge.

Lily put the wizard newspaper on the table next to the tissues, forcing all thoughts of Petunia and her family out of her mind. Somehow she'd find a safe way to contact them. Petunia might not want to hear from her, especially after what happened to her husband and son, but Lily couldn't say nothing. She would ask Sirius to get a message to Dumbledore. He would know of a way.

At that moment Sirius stepped outside, wearing a red t shirt and tight blue jeans. His dark hair was hanging loosely across his shoulders. He looked exhausted. He turned to look at Lily, offering a sympathetic smile. He'd already read this morning's issue of _The Daily Prophet, _so he already knew about Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley. It took what was left of her energy to force a half-smile in return. To her relief, Sirius didn't join her on the porch, but went to the end of the yard to check on Harry.

She watched in earnest as Sirius spoke to her son, taking the work Harry had done that morning and looking it over. Harry looked disappointed as he hung his head. Lily had a sneaking suspicion that he hadn't done everything Sirius had told him to do. She knew she ought to join them but her thoughts kept returning to her sister. If Petunia had hated her before, it paled in comparison to how much she would hate Lily now.

Petunia tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear and drained the last of her coffee. The words printed in _The Daily Prophet _kept replaying over and over again in her mind.

_'Petunia Dursley is expected to make a full recovery, but her son, ten year old Dudley Dursley, remains in the hospital in serious condition. Thirty five year old Vernon Dursley, however, passed away early this morning due to his shrunken lungs...' _

A tear fell down her cheek as Lily returned to Halloween night 1981. How she'd run like a coward upstairs while she left her husband to fight Voldemort alone. She'd known he didn't stand a chance by himself, yet she let James sacrifice himself anyway, all for the sake of the greater good...

A bitter laugh escaped her throat as she remembered the night she and James had discussed what to do if Voldemort ever came to Godric's Hollow.

* * *

_Lily Potter had just warmed up some milk with her wand and poured it into a baby bottle for Harry. The infant was sitting in his high chair, squealing in anticipation of the nourishment he was about to receive. James was sitting at the kitchen table, his eyes looking grim behind his glasses. Lily didn't need to ask him what was the matter. She already knew. _

_They were waiting for Albus Dumbledore, their old headmaster at Hogwarts, to arrive with plans on what to do next. He had told them just last week that a woman he had just hired to become the new Divination professor had foretold a prophecy that somehow involved Harry and Lord Voldemort. It made Lily's stomach curdle just thinking about it. _

_"What do you think it means?" Lily asked in a hushed whisper as she gave the one year old the bottle, as though Harry could somehow understand them. _

_"I don't know, Lily. But whatever it means, we'll just have to be ready. Dumbledore wouldn't come here if it wasn't serious," James replied coolly. His expression betrayed him, however. Lily knew James was just as worried as she was. _

_"But who is this woman and what kind of Seeing power does she actually have? Isn't it possible she just made it all up in order to get the job?"Lily asked desperately, looking for reassurance. She knew she would find none. _

_James looked to be at a loss for words. He stared at his son for a minute, drinking his milk as though he hadn't a care in the world. "How could she have even known about Harry otherwise? Even if this thing turns out not to be true, we should at least here Dumbledore out. We need to do anything in order to keep Harry safe."_

_Lily bit her lip, knowing he was right. She sat down across from James at the table, wondering how they had ended up right in the middle of the war. It wasn't all that long ago that they were fresh out of Hogwarts, eager to start their lives as a learned witch and wizard. They'd joined the resistance, known as the Order of the Phoenix, almost at once, the thrill of adventure at the fingertips. They both loved being in the thick of the action, and fighting Death Eaters, keeping innocent witches, wizards, and Muggles safe at the same time. And they loved fighting with each other at their side. Lily had loved every minute of it. _

_But now she wished with all her heart that they'd never gotten involved in the first place. At least not as actively as they'd been. She couldn't help thinking that if they hadn't been some of the most prominent members of the Order that this unknown woman wouldn't have told Dumbledore something about Harry that was making Dumbledore meet them in secret. _

_When Harry was finished with the bottle he slammed it against the tray of his high chair and let out a loud laugh. Lily smiled and picked it up, washing it quickly in the sink as James stood up to let Harry out of his high chair. She smiled as she watched James bounce Harry up and down on his lap, Harry laughing in delight. _

_"Want your broomstick? How about we go flying for a bit?" James asked in a high pitched voice for Harry's sake. _

_Lily followed them into the living room and sat down on the maroon sofa in the center of the room as James picked up the toy broomstick from the highest shelf and sat Harry carefully upon it. Once Harry knew that he was about to 'fly' he began laughing again, causing Lily to smile. Her son definitely took after James. The love of flying was already making itself a prominent feature in him. _

_But before Harry could get further than a centimeter in the air, there was a loud POP as Albus Dumbledore Apparated into the living room. James immediately picked Harry up and held him protectively in his arms. The small toy broomstick crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. Harry's eyes were still on it and he looked at James in confusion, wondering why he wasn't being allowed to fly anymore. _

_"So sorry to disturb you, James and Lily, but I'm afraid this is a matter that can't be put of discussing." Dumbledore looked regretful as he sat down next to Lily on the sofa. Both he and Lily looked up at James, standing in front of them with Harry still in his arms. _

_"What's going on, Albus? What was that woman saying about Harry? Is it true?" James asked at once, the smile that had been on his face just a moment ago vanishing. _

_Dumbledore sighed and Lily thought he looked as though he were about to cry. He looked from James to Lily and back. "Sybill Trelawney has foretold young Harry's role in this war. And it isn't very optimistic, I'm afraid," he said at last. _

_Lily's brow furrowed and she fought the urge to scream. "What did she say?"_

_Dumbledore hesitated again. Lily had never seen him look so beaten down. So depressed. "It seems that your son is the only one who can stop Lord Voldemort. The prophecy states quite clearly that 'Neither can live while the other survives.'"_

_James met Lily's eye. Dumbledore seemed to think that was all it would take to convince them, but they were both far from being convinced. _

_"But that doesn't mean anything!" James exclaimed angrily, shifting Harry from one arm to the other. _

_"There's more to it than that," replied Dumbledore in a surprisingly even voice. "The prophecy also said that the one who is meant to vanquish the Dark Lord would be born at the end of July and would possess unseen signs that the Dark Lord would mark him as his equal. And while Voldemort has not marked him as his equal, he will try."_

_"Try?" Lily spoke up. "What do you mean? Is he going to come here, Albus? Is he going to attack Harry?"_

_Dumbledore's eyes swam with sadness as he looked at Lily, but Lily tried to ignore it. "Voldemort is scared. He believed that he was the superior wizard; that no one matched him in either strength or skill. He has deduced that the one in the prophecy is your son, and he's going to try to kill him soon. He wants Harry gone."_

_They all sat in stunned silence for a long time. Lily's brain tried to register the words, but they didn't seem to stick. She couldn't make sense of it. Why was Harry the one meant to go up against Voldemort? Why was he the only one who could kill him?_

_"How do you know?" James asked after a while. "How do you know that Voldemort knows?" _

_"I have my sources," Dumbledore replied mysteriously. _

_Lily was about to ask who, but decided she didn't need any more information to absorb at the moment. She looked at Harry, who was watching the exchange with what looked like curiosity. For a second she almost believed that he understood what they were talking about, but quickly dismissed that thought. _

_"So what do we do? If Voldemort is going to come after Harry, we're going to need as many Aurors and Order members as possible," Lily stated._

_"It would be pointless if none of us are able to kill him. And Voldemort will never stop trying until either he or Harry is dead," said Dumbledore sadly. "Harry needs to go into hiding until he is older and able to fight Voldemort himself." _

_"But Albus, that'll be years! Voldemort could have thousands of followers by then! What are we supposed to do, sit around and twidle our thumbs while Voldemort gathers more strength and power?" James looked as furious as Lily felt. _

_"I agree that it isn't ideal. But no matter how much we dislike it, Harry is the only one who can defeat Voldemort once and for all. But he won't be able to do that until he is older."_

_"Well, then I guess we don't have a choice, do we? We'll need to go into hiding," said James, looking sadly at Harry. _

_"Yes. But not all of you." James and Lily gaped at him._

_"What?"_

_"This brings me to my other bit of bad news. And you won't like it. You'll quite possibly come to hate me for the rest of your lives," said Dumbledore, looking and sounding anxious. _

_"What?" Lily repeated, impatience getting the best of her. _

_"Voldemort already knows where you are staying. He's planning on coming tonight to kill Harry. And it'll be all too easy for him to do it, too. He'll kill all of you as easily as it is to cast the Alohomora spell. And you can't all go on the run together because you'll be too vulnerable." He paused, gathering the courage to say what he was about to say next. "On the night of Voldemort's attack, one of you will have to stay behind and sacrifice yourselves."_

_The words seemed to hang in the air, not quite able to absorb themselves into truth yet. Lily's mouth hung open in shock while James's face became a deep red. _

_"What are you saying? That we willingly need to give up?" James looked as though he were about to explode. Lily had never seen him like this before. _

_"No." Dumbledore shook his head. "Whoever stays behind will have to put up a fight. As much of a fight as possible for the same reason you can't all go into hiding together. When someone dies protecting someone else, a connection is formed. That connection stays forever in that person who was being protected, acting almost as a shield against harm. It's one of the oldest forms of magic, and without it Harry cannot hope to survive for very long."_

_Hours seemed to go by as Lily, James, and Dumbledore argued about the logic of this as well as, eventually, who would stay behind and sacrifice themselves. Deep down Lily had known it would be her. James would never let his wife die willingly, no matter what the circumstances. While Lily wanted to say that she'd do the same, she knew she would do whatever it took to keep Harry safe. So in the end they agreed to the impossible. _

* * *

Lily's eyes filled with tears as she remembered how valiant James had been in his last days. She imagined he was up in Heaven looking down at them all, cheering Harry on in his exhausting effort to become as powerful as possible.

She thought again of Petunia and let the wave of regret wash over her body until it eventually subsided.

And she thought of Harry, and how unfair this whole situation was for him. He hadn't asked to be the Chosen One. He didn't ask to have greatness thrust upon him. He didn't ask to grow up without his father. It was good for him to have Sirius around, but the boy needed his father, not stories and pictures.

Maybe, Lily mused to herself, when this war is finally over, I'll be able to do something about that.

But until then, they would just have to keep pushing Harry, and hope like hell that he wouldn't break from the pressure.


	3. Relocating

A/N: Once again, thanks to all who reviewed. Each one helps. As we all know, I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

_Chapter Two_

The house was quiet when Harry returned an hour later. His mother was no longer on the porch; perhaps she and Sirius were in the bedroom they shared. They often had private conversations they didn't bother to include Harry in. They seemed to think he was too young to understand adult matters.

His mother and Sirius often told Harry how mature and intelligent he was for his age. They went to great lengths to let him know just how special he was. Yet they never seemed to tell him of stuff that was happening in the war. They limited the information they gave him concerning Voldemort. If he was so mature and intelligent, why couldn't he handle a bit of bad news every once in a while?

Harry tried to keep his anger under control as he took a bowl down from the cupboard and poured himself some cereal. The date on the label of the milk had passed by a day, but the milk still tasted halfway decent so he used it. The quirky little family had piles of wizard gold in their separate accounts at Gringotts, but since it was unsafe for either Harry or Lily to step foot in public, they often had to go without money, or rely on what little Muggle money they had. Sirius had a bit of wizard money of his own, but since there were rumors that he was on the run with Lily, it generally wasn't safe for him either.

It was extremely frustrating to be thought of as poor amongst the Muggles who lived on their street. Harry knew that if he had been brought up as a normal wizard boy, his family would be amongst some of the wealthiest. A lot of the kids they lived around, including those he had just played basketball with, thought he was poor and took to teasing him about it when there wasn't anything else to do. Harry always had to suppress the urge to whip out his wand and cast some curses their way.

Silence engulfed him as he sat there chewing his stale cereal. He wished Sirius would go to the grocery store. He was starting to get desperate enough that he wouldn't try to argue with Sirius if he announced he was going to Diagon Alley for a few supplies. But seeing as how neither Sirius or his mother were nowhere to be found, Harry had no choice but to either finish his cereal or find something else.

When he was finished he dumped the leftover milk down the drain and washed his bowl, replacing it in the cupboard once it was dry. None of them could stand the house when it was dirty. Deciding he might as well take advantage of Sirius's absence, he walked down the hall and into his room. As he walked past his mother's and Sirius's room, muffled voices could be heard from the other side of the door.

"...sent her an owl an hour ago." His mother's voice sounded distressed. Sad, even. Harry stood in the hall for a minute, not intending to listen in, but doing it anyway. He pressed his ear against the wall in an effort to listen more clearly.

"Do you think she'll respond?" Sirius asked in a tone that suggested he didn't believe whoever they were talking about would respond.

"I don't know," his mother replied, a note of hysteria rising in her voice. Harry only ever heard her speak this way when they were talking about his father. "But she needs to know the truth. She needs to know why they were attacked."

Sirius hesitated for a minute, and Harry pressed his ear harder against the wall, not wanting to miss a word. "Is that a good idea, Lily? You know how she feels about _our kind," _Sirius said sarcastically. Harry knew he was talking about this strange woman's attitude toward wizards.

He was beginning to dislike this woman already.

"What am I supposed to do? Tell her I don't care about what happened to her and her family?" Lily retorted. A few seconds of silence passed between them, then Lily said in a much calmer tone, "She's my sister, Sirius. She deserves the truth."

Harry felt as though his mother had just announced she was a Muggle. She had a sister? Never, in the entirety of Harry's life had his mother ever told him they had any other family. She never talked about anybody, not that Harry had ever flat out asked her. He felt betrayed. Why couldn't she have ever told him? Would that knowledge somehow have made him a lesser wizard?

Hurt, Harry turned and walked quietly to his room, not wanting his mother and Sirius to know he had been eavesdropping. He threw himself on his bed, burying his face in his pillow.

The room was nothing extraordinary. It felt more like a prison cell with its bare white walls and twin sized bed. Sirius wouldn't let him have any pictures on the walls because they might turn out to be spies for Voldemort. Harry thought this to be a bit paranoid, but knew it would be pointless to argue. It was a very small room, barely able to hold a bed, dresser, desk and bookshelf. It felt more like a supply closet since there was only one small 7" x 5" window overlooking the backyard. There was only one overhead light and a lamp on his desk. Even with both lights on, Harry sometimes felt he was constantly living in the dark.

The only thing Harry liked about the room was the bookshelf. It rose from floor to ceiling and was directly across from his bed. Harry had so many books that there were some resting on top of each other. Every available shelf space was occupied, and he still had some books on the floor beside the shelf because there was nowhere else to put them. At the moment, however, Harry didn't even want to look at them. They were the source of his discontent.

Harry lay there for a while, trying to figure out why his mother had never told him she had a sister. The only conclusion he came to was that his mother was ashamed of her. From the bits of information he'd gathered from the conversation he just overhead, she didn't sound like a very pleasant person. She didn't like wizards apparently, judging from Sirius's attitude towards her. And it sounded as though he didn't care at all that this woman's family had been attacked. Had it been Death Eaters? He knew it wasn't Voldemort himself, otherwise there wouldn't have been any survivors.

Was it a coincidence that his mother's relatives had been attacked by Death Eaters? Harry didn't think so. Voldemort must be getting desperate. Maybe he thought that by attacking his mother's sister that it would draw them out of hiding. Harry nearly jumped out of bed to go tell his mother not to write to her sister, but then he remembered that she already had.

Sirius's paranoia must be getting to him. They couldn't track a letter by owl. It was impossible, even with the most complicated magic. The best anyone could hope for was to wait for someone to reply and then track the owl, but Harry doubted this strange woman would write to a sister she likely hadn't heard from for at least ten years.

At least, he didn't think so.

Should he warn them of his suspicions? He didn't want them knowing he'd eavesdropped, but wasn't that better than Voldemort finding them? The last thing Harry wanted to do was move again, and they definitely didn't have the money for it, but he knew that if he did nothing and Voldemort found them that whatever happened next would be on him.

Telling himself that it was all for the best, Harry stood up and left his room, but before he got one foot out the door he saw his mother and Sirius standing in front of them, looking grim.

"Harry, we need to talk," his mother said in a flat voice. Harry could just make out a hint of fear.

Harry walked back to his room, his mother and Sirius right behind him. He sat down on his bed. Lily sat down beside him and Sirius pulled up Harry's desk chair.

"Harry, I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but we're going to move again," Lily began. Harry opened his mouth to interrupt but his mother held up a hand to silence him. "Before you start, I have something I need to tell you, and you aren't going to like it. Harry, I never told you before, but I have a sister. She, her husband and her son are Muggles. The two of us are estranged and she doesn't like the wizarding world which is why we haven't talked in years. Anyway, last night...they were attacked. Petunia-my sister-was just released from a Muggle hospital, but her son...your cousin...is in a coma and the doctors are saying he may never w-wake up..." Lily trailed off as she began to cry.

Harry looked to Sirius to see how he was taking the news. His expression was blank, and when he noticed Harry looking at him his gaze turned to the floor.

After a minute of awkward silence, Lily continued. "Petunia's husband Vernon, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate. He p-p-passed a-away...his lungs..."

"It's okay, Lily. There wasn't anything you could have done," Sirius consoled, rubbing Lily's back soothingly. Harry raised his hand awkwardly, not sure if he should do the same. He knew he should say something, but it was hard to know just what to say. 'Sorry these people you care about whom I've never met were attacked' just didn't feel like enough. He settled for patting his mother's shoulder a couple of times. It seemed as though it were enough.

"Anyway, Harry," Sirius continued when it was clear Lily couldn't. "Your mother sent your Aunt Petunia a letter, understandably of course, but Voldemort might be suspecting that. He might already know the letter is on its way and will be tracking the owl. Now, the chances of Petunia writing back are slim at best. She's never made her feelings towards you or Lily a secret." A hint of disdain fell out of Sirius's voice.

"We're going to move someplace even more remote, and we're going to be more careful. We've been getting a bit careless when it comes to our safety. But this attack needs to be a reminder to us all that we are not invincible. Voldemort is still out there. We'll keep the charms and spells on this house, but the next place we go will be even more protected. We'll also cast a Hiding Spell, so that if Petunia does reply, the owl won't know where we are. He'll think we're still at the old house. That way, if Voldemort does indeed track that owl here, he won't know where we've gone. So, Harry, pack up as much as you can. We Apparate in an hour," Sirius explained, leaving no room for argument.

It was clear to Harry that Sirius was expecting a full blown argument from him. Harry usually resisted the constant moving they did. Sirius was never convinced they were safe enough. Instead, to the astonishment of both Sirius and Lily, Harry nodded in agreement and pulled out the suitcases from underneath his bed.

Without a word, Lily and Sirius left the room. Harry was relieved he hadn't needed to explain all that to Sirius, although he had to admit that casting the Hiding Spell on their new house hadn't occurred to him. He hadn't thought at all that the owl would deliver the letter to wherever they stayed next since owls had the uncanny ability to know where anybody was so long as they needed to know.

Sirius had cast undetectable Extension Charms on both of Harry's suitcases so that all of Harry's belongings could be squeezed into them. Harry pulled out all his clothes in one big handful out of the closet and stuffed them into the first suitcase. Then his extra pair of shoes, the other sheets, what little toys he did have and his broomstick. Then he shrunk his bed, desk, drawer, and suitcase and threw them on top of everything else. The other suitcase alone would only be able to hold his entire book collection.

When Harry was all packed ten minutes later he contemplated going outside to say goodbye to the kids from the street he'd just played basketball with. In the end, however, he decided against it. If Voldemort resorted to torturing their location out of the neighbors, it was best that they knew as little as possible. And besides that, Harry doubted any of them would miss him anyway.

He dragged the suitcases into the foyer and then began helping his mother pack the rest of their belongings. It didn't take too long since most of it required simple shrinking spells. When the house was bare and the suitcases were empty, a stranger walking in would think the family was just going on vacation.

Sirius was the last one down, his two suitcases rolling easily down the hall behind him. "Is everything packed?" he asked unnecessarily. There wasn't any furniture left in the now empty house.

Harry looped one arm with Sirius and one with his mother, holding tightly to his two suitcases. Though he knew the steps to Apparate (he'd known since he was seven), they weren't sure if Voldemort's spies in the Ministry of Magic were keeping tabs on everyone who Apparated. Sirius was always the one Apparating since he was the only one people thought wasn't on the run. Lily and Harry had to use Side-Along Apparition even though they could both do it.

Both Harry and Lily weren't too keen on the procedure, but they knew it was the only way. With one final look at their latest abandoned house, Sirius Apparated them all away.


End file.
